Hemorrhoid Cream & Ointment

Hemorrhoid cream is usually the first treatment people turn to when trying to eliminate hemorrhoids. This treatment method is very popular because hemorrhoid cream is easy to use, easy to get, and generally provides fast relief. Moreover, many of the creams don’t require prescriptions and can be purchased over the counter at your local drugstore.

What is Hemorrhoid Cream?

In short, a hemorrhoid cream is a water based product that contains certain ingredients that help relieve symptoms associated with hemorrhoids such as itching, burning, soreness, and inflammation. They can be pharmaceutical or made from natural sources like herbal extracts.

Pharmaceutical hemorrhoid cream usually contains hydrocortisone – a medication used to treat a variety of skin conditions, including hemorrhoids. These creams can range in level of strength with stronger ones sometimes requiring a prescription. Usually, however, the over the counter hemorrhoid cream is suffice for most people.

Natural hemorrhoid remedies often use herbal extracts like Witch-hazel. Witch-hazel helps to shrink and contract blood vessels back to normal size as well as soothe the affected area, hence its use in many hemorrhoid treatments.

How is Hemorrhoid Cream Used?

Hemorrhoid cream is most often used to treat external hemorrhoids, but there are products that can be applied internally as well.

For external hemorrhoids, a topical treatment is rubbed on your outer rectal area with the goal of soothing the inflamed blood vessels. The cream also serves to lubricate the anal canal, making it easier for stools to pass. Once the inflamed blood vessel has been relaxed, there is less irritation.

For internal hemorrhoids, suppositories are inserted inside the rectum to lubricate and deliver moisture to the hemorrhoid as soon as the next rectal pressure comes. The purpose is to safeguard the hemorrhoid from rupturing again.

Choosing the Right Hemorrhoid Cream

Choosing the right hemorrhoid treatment, and hemorrhoid cream, depends on the type and severity of the hemorrhoid as well as whether you want to tackle the problem using natural products and methods or if you want to use pharmaceuticals. In either case, you need to find something that is both effective in relieving your symptoms and one that you are not allergic to.

When choosing a hemorrhoid cream (pharmaceutical), you should probably first start with a weaker type of cream. Preparation H, for example, would be a good hemorrhoid cream brand to start with. Preparation H comes in a variety of gels, wipes, ointments, and creams and all at varying strength levels. Therefore, you are bound to find one that fits your needs. Simply begin with one of their lesser strength products and if after a couple of days of using the product you don’t see any results or relief, then you can either move up to something stronger or try a natural treatment. Your hemorrhoid will most likely not be cured after only a few days of using a hemorrhoid cream, but you should have seen some improvement and experienced some comfort by then.

If you suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, heart, kidney and thyroid diseases, then turning to a natural product such as Hem Relief or using the H Miracle System would be better as many pharmaceutical creams warn people about using their products with these conditions.

Whether you choose a natural hemorrhoid cream or a pharmaceutical one, most will offer quick relief from the discomfort associated with common hemorrhoids – just remember that these are usually short term solutions and many times your symptoms will reappear after their use.

Hemorrhoid Ointment

Hemorrhoid cream is different from ointment in that the cream is a water based product. Therefore, once the creams have been rubbed in and the water has evaporated, a thin film of the active ingredients is left behind. Ointments on the other hand are greasy and are usually better for people with dry skin.

Ointments that protect the skin, such as zinc oxide or petroleum jelly, are common nonprescription ointments for hemorrhoids. Mayinglong Musk Hemorrhoids Ointment, for example, is a very popular hemorrhoid ointment used for treating external hemorrhoids. The ointment is used to temporarily relieve pain, soreness, burning, and itching by forming a protective coating over the inflamed tissues to help prevent drying.

Warning!

While most hemorrhoid cream and ointments are generally harmless when used properly, some of these products do contain substances that can be harmful if they are used for too long of a period. Therefore, make sure to read the warning labels of these products. Many times they will state how long the product should be used for (no more than 7 consecutive days for example). This is important because sometimes people don’t read the directions or warning labels of these products and accidentally overuse them. If you overuse or use too strong of a hemorrhoid cream, you run the risk of having permanent complications like skin eczema for the rest of your life…so be careful! When in doubt, check with your doctor before using any hemorrhoid cream or ointment.

Besides using hemorrhoid cream for the obvious reason of treating your hemorrhoid, some people do use it for cosmetic purposes. For example, it is known that some models use hemorrhoid cream in the morning in an effort to reduce puffy eyes. This has led to an increase in demand for these types of products. Be warned, however, that these creams are not intended for this purpose and can lead to other problems. Get professional medical advice before you try anything like this.

Conclusion

Hemorrhoid creams and ointments can be a great way to find short term relief from the itchiness and discomfort, but that is usually the extent of them. The main disadvantage with using creams and ointments is that they don’t tackle the root cause of hemorrhoids. They are generally not viewed as a cure for hemorrhoids, but rather as a way to better cope with the irritation and discomfort that comes from hemorrhoids. Therefore, chronic hemorrhoid suffers should probably look to hemorrhoid treatments that go after the root causes.

Comments

In general, ointments and creams aren’t the best for curing hemorrhoids completely…especially if you’ve had the hemorrhoid for 6 years. Ointments are great for relief and will help shrink the hemorrhoid down so it’s not bothersome, but many times it will pop up again later.

Personally, I prefer natural forms of treatment and would try the H-Miracle System as it has just about every kind of natural hemorrhoid treatment you can think of. The treatments are do-it-yourself kind, so if you are looking for an already made type product, you could then try something like Hem-Relief.

If you specifically want an ointment, then try Mayinglong Musk. It kind of has a strong smell and some people can be allergic to it, but most people find that it works the best. It is not sold everywhere, but can be bought on amazon.com.

Your final option…surgery. This will definitely eliminate the hemorrhoid, but is more costly and can be very unpleasant.